Wow!!! Has it been 2 years already?? As I look back on these days, I sit here amazed that I am where I am today! It hasn't always been pretty, but I have finally achieved my dream (with a LOT of help)... I am officially a full time Local Yarn Shop owner!
We started this venture at a time when I still needed to keep my full time job, requiring me to operate the yarn shop on evenings and weekends. In the early days I was here Mondays through Thursdays until 7pm, Saturdays and Sundays, leaving myself with no days off because I still had to work my full time job on Fridays! I kept that 66+ hr/week work schedule for 6 months. Then summer came and I realized that I was missing out on too much, so I eliminated Sundays to give myself a day off! The plan was to stay the course until the kids were out of college and on their own insurance. We would downsize to a smaller home to reduce our expenses and THEN I could leave my full time job and focus on what I love, knitting, crocheting and hoarding yarn! We estimated it would take 2 years.
Guess what? My kids are off our insurance, we sold our house this summer, and it happened! On October 14th, exactly 23 months after opening, I became a full time shop owner! Business has been great... I have quite a few regular customers now and so many new ones stopping in to tell me they have been driving by for years, but I'm never open... well those days are over!
Has it been easy? Not even close! Has it been worth it? Absolutely! I now spend my days in my 'Happy Place', planning all the ways I am going to implement the ideas I have been thinking about for 2 years but didn't have the time to execute... watch for a yarn of the month, with projects, kits, classes, and discounts! My head is exploding with possibilities! And yes, more social media presence and timely blog posts to give you updates on what's going on in the shop and what's coming up!
Thanks for listening to me ramble... the one downside to leaving my job is that I miss having a lot of people around me and the social interaction that brings with it. So if I tend to talk too much when you stop in the shop, please accept my apologies... I will eventually adjust :)
Don't forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok (maybe... I'm being encouraged to jump down this rabbit hole, but I haven't committed yet) and check out my website once in a while. I promise there will be updates from now on!
Thank you SO MUCH for your support and for supporting small business!!!